


First law of motion

by now_a_malec_writer



Series: The Spoony Trilogy [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV), The Shadowhunter Chronicles - All Media Types
Genre: First Date, M/M, Malec, Malec date, Miscommunication, hot dogs
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-31
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-07-04 18:56:48
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 13,382
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15847347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/now_a_malec_writer/pseuds/now_a_malec_writer
Summary: The last part of our "Spoony Trilogy" is here, yay!After their first time, Alec and Magnus decided to start a "relationship".But a nosy sister and a new guy can jeopardize all that for our dear Malec.Or...A story where dirty hot dogs are a proof of affection - or not.





	1. Encounters

 

**First law of motion:**

" **An object at rest stays at rest and an object in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced force.”**

 

*

 

The steam was everywhere around them, the hot water hitting them and making their bodies relax instantly. Alec was directly under the shower; his soaking wet hair glued to his forehead, in front of his eyes, creating trails of water that was also getting to Magnus’ face, to his mouth, before he connects his lips to Alec’s.

Their bodies were in complete sync, moving together, familiar to each other, like acquaintances from other times.

Magnus’ hair, that was up as he usually liked to style until that moment, was now also soaked, making him laugh while he kissed Alec deeply and with hunger.

Since they started doing this, they were always hungry for each other.

Two months had passed since they met that night, and they were doing this regularly ever since.

Usually, Alec went to Magnus’ place at the end of the day - not only on weekends but during the week too, any time he felt like he needed a break, a recharge, an escape. They just texted each other, asking to see if the other one was available. Sometimes Magnus would ask Alec to stop by, quickly, eagerly, lazily, it didn’t matter. They always found time to do that. To have their moments together. In some occasions, Alec would stay all night, they would share a simple breakfast - Magnus always made them coffee, Alec was terrible at it, God only knows how… Other times, he would get dressed and he was out of Magnus’ apartment, in a hurry, ready to deal with the rest of his life, not even bothering taking a shower.

The encounters were diverse too. Sometimes they hardly made it to the couch, grabbing each other almost at the door. There was almost a desperation in the action, an attempt to make the world around them completely numb. Other times it was like a game, a dance, a tease. They would be flirty, seducing just enough, controlling and denying what the other one wanted, saying words that would be almost degrading in other contexts, but that would arouse both of them in the heat of the moment. They took their time, savoring all the other had to offer.

The only rule was that, if Alec spent the night, he was allowed to cuddle Magnus as much as he wanted.

He was a cuddling monster. And he wasn’t ashamed of that anymore.

That night, Alec was actually busy, but since Magnus asked, he was there to please.

<Is it okay if we did it quickly?>, he texted Magnus. 

<No problem, you’re the boss.>

So he found time in tonight’s schedule to see Magnus for a bit. He was sure 30 minutes would be enough. Clearly, he was wrong. One hour and a half later, he was still there. And now they were taking a shower because “Alec couldn’t leave smelling like that” all over New York.

“Smelling like that” = Smelling like Magnus.

Not that Alec minded that one bit. But still.

So they were taking a shower together (Magnus always said it was a strategic move to save water, but the time they spent there was the opposite proof of that. They really couldn’t care less once they started). Alec knew he needed to leave, he knew she would call him any minute now, he really needed to go, he was late, she was mad (he just knew it, he could sense it), but damn that water was so good, so warm, and Magnus was there being Magnus and he was so…

Surprised.

He was now surprised because Magnus kind of pushed him against the wall and kneeled behind him. He could feel what was about to happen, he felt himself getting harder by the second.

Try to get out now.

Magnus’ face was close to his ass and he could feel the other man's breath on him. Alec could almost feel Magnus’ tongue touching him when an unexpected noise brought both of them back.

Alec’s cellphone.

It was ringing. Non-stop.

Damn it.

Alec sighed, defeated.

Magnus was still on his knees.

“I gotta go”, Alec said.  
“Now? Really? But we’re taking a shower!”  
Alec laughed.  
“Yeah. A great one. But I’m really late. I’ll make it up to you.”  
“Oh, trust me, you will”, Magnus said a bit annoyed. Alec helped him get up. They kissed quickly. Alec was under water one last time, briefly, and he was out, leaving Magnus there.

The man continued to wash himself while Alec was getting dry and grabbing his clothes all over the living room.

A few minutes later, he was back at the bathroom. Magnus had bubbles all over him. Alec thought the image was quite cute.

“Okay, I’m going. Text me when you need me.”  
“I could text you right now.”  
“I’m free tomorrow night if you want to-”  
“I have to check my agenda. My calendar. My schedule. You know, unlike you, I’m not always available.”  
Alec laughed once again.  
“Right”, Alec replied, opening the shower door to kiss Magnus once again. “Thank you for today. We’ll talk later, alright?”  
“Sure. Have fun.”  
“Thanks”, and Alec winked, leaving Magnus alone that night for good.


	2. Expand his horizons

“May I ask why are you late and why on earth you couldn’t pick up your damn phone, Alexander?”

“Wow, are we doing that now? First names like that?”

“Man, you just got here, I’m listening she bitch about you for the past two hours. Two hours, bro!”

“Sorry, Jace”, and Alec patted his brother in the back.

Izzy was pissed.

Which was something he couldn’t quite understand. She always wanted him to find someone, to have fun, to loosen up a bit. Now that he had all that she was crazier than ever. She was infuriated. Infuriated Izzy is not something you want to see.

Ever. 

“Izzy, I said sorry already. 15 times. Can we just move on?”

“Were you with Magnus again?”

“You know the answer to that.”

“Damn it, Alec.”

See, it was impossible to please that woman!

“Alec, my dear big brother, how many times did I tell you already you can’t get involved with the first dick that appears your way? My dream was for us to hang out together, help each other out night after night, hunting and throwing people away after. But you? What are you doing? You’re hooking up with the same guy for the past 55 years!”

“2 months, Izzy.”

“Same thing.”

“And to be fair, we’re not doing anything other than… you know.”

That was true. They were exclusively having sex. Lots of sex. Tons of sex. All types of sex. But just sex, nevertheless.

“Izzy, c’mon, you can’t even call Alec and Magnus fuckbuddies because they need to be buddies for that first”, and Jace burst out laughing.

Alec was so sick of these jokes already. He was fine with his situation with Magnus. It worked for both of them. I mean, they told each other their names AFTER having sex. Not before, like normal people. So obviously their priorities were a bit off. They were fine like this. Alec was sure Magnus would think he was super clingy or desperate after he made that first call just a few minutes after saying goodbye to the man. But Magnus seemed to be fine with that and as eager as Alec to do this.

They saw each other the next day. And things started from there. This “routine”.

They never discussed rules or anything, but there was this unspoken agreement. They talked a lot about sexual stuff, preferences, what they could explore, what felt right and what was off limits, and made arrangements about Alec spending the nights occasionally. But other than that, it was nothing, really. They knew they liked each other’s company, they were clearly comfortable around each other. But there were never conversations about personal issues - family, work, aspirations, favorite ice cream, favorite song, latest series binge-watched on Netflix.

The only thing they knew about each other was of sexual nature.

Sure, this was not how Alec imagined his first relationship to be like, but since he thought he would be virgin until he was 57, he was really pleased with all that so far. He had his siblings if he needed someone to talk, you know?

Magnus could give him the only thing he couldn’t find elsewhere.

But Izzy wasn’t having it. She wanted Magnus to wake up her brother sexually, sure. But apparently his “magical genitalia” kidnapped Alec for good. And that was unacceptable. Izzy was sure Alec needed more diversity, he needed to try other flavors in the vast ice cream shop called life, ya know?

He was fixed in the caramel flavor, apparently.

It’s important for you to understand that Izzy… she had her own ideas about relationships. She was totally against them. She believed a life well lived was a life in which you get what you wanted without creating any kind of attachments. Life is something to enjoy, to experiment, to try. And to move on to the next thing.

Alec was the older brother, but Izzy was surely the alfa of their pack, sort of speak.

So she tried to shape her brothers into her beliefs. And she knew Alec was now discovering life, which was awesome, but really, enough with this club guy. Why already settle for one when you can have so many? She knew he would regret that eventually, so she was determined to put an end to all that.

Izzy herself tried to show them how to live the better life by example. That’s why she used to gather her siblings the night after a date (aka, casual sex, she never really dated - which, FYI, is totally okay. The problem was her attempt to make everyone around her to live the way she did). She would describe a few things, make fun of others, and when things were pretty bad, guys were contemplated with a nickname: there was Radio Steve (poor man, he didn’t know what to do with her upper parts, she felt like he was turning to the next radio station while touching her), Google Maps Donald (he couldn’t find her G spot not even with a compass), One Shot Leo (you can figure that out...), and the worst of all, Disgusted Paul (he couldn’t give her any oral action because he was too disgusted by any “lady parts” near his face. Well, Paul, what about DON’T HAVE SEX AT ALL IN THAT CASE?).

But you see? She had repertory. She knew better. She had enough experience to know in advance if her time with a particular guy was worth it or not. How could Alec say the same? He couldn’t. And that was killing her inside.

 ****“Well”, she started, exasperated. “I expected us to have a fun siblings night together. You know, getting drunk, flirting, having sex with strangers in filthy bathrooms… a good time. But you’re not willing to help me with that.”

“Izzy, can you stop being dramatic? And seriously, why do I have to go out to look for sex if I was ALREADY HAVING THAT BEFORE GETTING HERE? Makes no sense!”

“A’s got a point, Iz”, Jace said pointing his beer at Alec.

She made a scary noise to them. “You’re both impossible! I hate you. Get out, both of you, get out now. I’m not hanging out with you, losers!”, and she opened the door of her apartment, kicking them out.

Jace grabbed another beer on his way out.

This was such a waste of time. Alec could be enjoying his time with Magnus…

On the street, Jace was walking side by side with Alec. He gave the extra beer to his brother.

“Do you think she’s right?”, Alec asked after a moment of silence. “Do you think I… need to try more? Like, more guys?”

“Alec, honestly, I don’t know. I like the idea of exploring. And I don’t think I’ll settle down so soon. I think it depends if it’s working for you. If you’re not bored by just being with Magnus, and you’re okay with the fact that both of you are only having sex and all, it's fine. Why risk that? On the other hand, if you’re looking for something else, since now you know how things are in the bed department, maybe you can think of expanding your horizons. I don’t know if Magnus wants a relationship. Or you. What do you want from this?”

Alec was drinking and thinking, in silence.

What did he want?

What did Magnus want?

He had not even the slightest idea what was the answer to those questions. He assumed their arrangement was good to Magnus and the only thing he wanted from Alec was sex. And that was fine. It’s not like we would end up getting married to a guy he hooked up within a club. His first.

So, until something changes, everything will remain the same.

 


	3. First law of motion

A week later, Alec was getting ready to have dinner with his siblings, as Izzy begged him to do. And he “owes her” or something like that for last weekend, so there he was, putting pomade in his hair to look presentable. She said they would go to a nice restaurant for a change, and not the crappy places they normally frequented, so he needed to put “some effort in that boring white face for once”.

Can you tell she was still mad at him?

So he was getting ready, checking the address 300 times on his notebook. (He still had no idea how to use a single map app to save his life.)

He decided to walk to the place - partly because he liked the exercise, partly because he was sure he put too much cologne and he would suffocate the entire restaurant with it. He needed that to evaporate from him.

When he got to the place (wow, that’s really fancy, he was thankful for the hair pomade) he was actually early. Ten minutes, but that was still impressive.

He asked for the reservation in name of Lightwood. The lady took him to the designated table. There was only one more chair there. He needed to ask another one for Jace before his brother got there since he was always super offended if he wasn't taken into consideration, doesn’t matter the situation.

But before that, Alec decided to go to the bathroom, real quick.

He was about to call Izzy but decided to wait. And you know, the bathroom is not the best place for that, right? (He made himself a promise to never drink and call, no matter what, especially in bathrooms.)

When he was back at his table, a man was there. Like sitting there, waiting. A guy with dark hair, blue eyes, open smile. He was a walking add. And he was looking straight at Alec like he was actually expecting him to be there. Alec made the most confusing face ever.

“Sorry, I think you’re at the-”

“Alec?”

WOW! The guy knew his name. What kind of sorcery is that?

“How do you-”

“Izzy told me a lot about you. Thank you for accepting going on this blind date with me”, the guy said it while standing up and offering his hand to Alec.

“Izzy. A date. Right.”

WHAT THE HELL, IZZY?

“Can you excuse me for a minute?”

“Sure.”

Alec smiled and went to the bathroom again.

The guy was still waiting for the handshake when Alec turned around to break his promise (partially) and make a phone call from the bathroom.

Izzy went straight to the point when she saw who was calling her. 

“Having fun already, big bro?”

“Izzy, are you fucking kidding me? You can’t do that, damn it. Don’t set me up with strangers!”

“Alec, I know this is not the most orthodox way, but I had to ‘parent trap’ you. You would never agree to go out with Troy if I-”

“His name is Troy? Are you serious? What kind of name is that?”

“What are you talking about? Troy is the name of Zac Efron’s character in High School Musical. Troy is a nice name.”

“Troy is a ridiculous name! It was lame for Zac, it’s lame now.”

“Oh God, are we talking shit about High School Musical? Are we that kind of people now? Honestly, Alec, I feel like I don’t even know you anymore.”

Alec couldn’t tell if Izzy was kidding or not. 

“Look, bro, I’m hurt. But if you don’t want to stay, you always have the choice to go home. I’m sure Troy will understand. I mean, he is super picky and doesn’t go out much since he works as a model and need his beauty rest, but after I showed him your pic he was interested, I just thought it would be fun for you to actually have a night out to talk to another person and not just moan obsessively-”

“Okay, okay, shut up. I’ll figure out what I’ll do from here. But really, Izzy, this is you going too far. Do that one more time and you won’t hear from me for a while, is that clear?”

“Yeah yeah, blah blah blah. Go get him! Thank me later.”

And she hung up. 

Why Alec always started those moments with bathroom phone calls to his siblings?

He was now facing his reflection in the mirror. Magnus hasn’t reached out tonight. He was already here. And for once his hair looked 5% tamed. Maybe he could stay and, at least, have a good meal, no?

How bad can that be?

Defeated, Alec was back to his table, where he saw Troy, still waiting for him. Alec sat in front of him. 

“Is everything okay?”

“Yeah, all good. Sorry about that. So, Troy, right?”

And Troy smiled and damn it, that was pretty good to look at. 

“Yes. So, it was just an impression, or you were not expecting to see me here tonight?”

“Hmmm. Yeah, sorry. Izzy, she’s…”

“A concerned sister. I have one too, so I totally understand. My sis arranged us a double date once, and my date was this awful guy that thought he could play bagpipes really well and, surprise surprise, he couldn’t.”

Alec laughed at that. One sentence and he already knew more about this guy’s past then he knew about Magnus’. 

Maybe this wasn’t a waste of time after all.

Sure, when Alec was at Magnus’ (and they only met each other there) he saw pictures on the wall. Magnus was usually surrounded by the same faces: a black woman with a huge, welcoming smile, a pale guy and an older one that, for whatever reason, seemed to be grumpy in all situations. Magnus was drinking or holding a glass in all photos. 

But Alec had no idea who those people were. 

He had no idea what was Magnus’ job. 

He had no idea. 

Every time Alec got a message or a phone call, his device lighten up and a photo of himself hugging Jace and Izzy would appear on the screen. Magnus saw that image a few times. He remembered Irrelevant Blond Guy from the club. He had no idea who the woman was. 

Even getting those glimpses of each other's lives, they decided to ignore them, maintaining their super intimate and yet not personal routine of sex making. 

And it’s funny how you get used to that. To not ask. To get into something, but not fully. To not give in totally. 

So every time one of them was confronted with a piece of personal information about the other, they instinctively turned the other way. They never asked. 

 

***   
  


To Alec’s surprise, Troy was indeed a funny, smart guy. He had a lot of anecdotes to tell. He came from the south, a simple family, and got discovered while he was hanging out with his friends at a local fair. “And the rest is history.”

Troy was a few years younger than Alec, but he was a mature person since he started working really early and took the opportunity to help his family. 

Good looking and apparently a good guy. 

So those people are real after all. 

They ordered food and had a few drinks. Everything was delicious. 

Troy couldn’t stop talking, until Alec felt his phone buzzing, just before they asked for dessert. He reached for the device, knowing who the message was from even before he picked up the phone in his jacket’s pocket. 

Magnus. 

<Need you.>

Just that. 

Their messages were always straight to the point. 

<Available?>, 

<I have a free night>, 

<Busy. Reschedule?>, 

<Horny>, 

<Come over>,

<I’m on my way, be ready>. 

One time Magnus wrote <If you get here in less than 30 minutes, I’ll let you cuddle me until lunch time>. It was the longest one he sent to Alec, on a Friday night, the only one Alec actually saved because he thought it was cute and funny at the same time. 

Now Alec was getting mixed feelings looking at his screen.  

“Is everything okay? You’re a bit pale… Well, more than you were a minute ago.”

Alec was still facing his cell phone.  

“Yeah, yeah. It’s just a… friend’s text. I’ll reply real quick, I’m sorry.”

“Hey, no problem. It’s just our first date. Do that on our tenth date and then I’ll show you”, Troy said with a mischievous look that Alec was sure wasn’t there before. 

The guy was already talking about getting other dates. He was the clingy type, just like Alec. Who knew??????? Alec was looking at Troy, he was sure his eyes were getting bigger and bigger… 

“Aren’t you going to reply?”

“Oh, right.”

So Alec did. 

<Busy. Reschedule?>

And he happily placed his phone back in his pocket and enjoyed his chocolate mousse with Troy. 

  
  



	4. The definition of bad timing

Next day, Magnus texted earlier.

 

Alec was feeling guilty about going to Magnus for the first time since they started this. I mean, he wasn’t feeling guilty about seeing Magnus per se, but the problem was that he… well, he had fun.

He had fun with Troy.

Lame Name Troy.

The man walked him home after dinner, they were just walking and talking, sharing silly memories and remarks. When they reached Alec’s place, Alec was super nervous. He didn’t know what to do. In fact, he realized, that was the first real date he ever had in his life. And it was good. It was a pleasant time.

Troy came near him, after saying how much he enjoyed his date with Alec and how glad he was with the fact that Alec didn’t play any instruments. They laughed. And Troy came even closer, he put his hand on Alec’s cheek, and Alec let that happened. He wanted that. He wanted to try.

They kissed.

And it was completely different from kissing Magnus. Magnus was so familiar to him. He knew how that tongue moved, what Magnus liked to do, how he would be a bit aroused every time Alec bite his lower lip or that he licked the corner of his mouth, just to get a taste. Magnus would go nuts with that. With Troy, Alec had no clue. Obviously, he knew how to kiss, but he just then realized people were unique. The fact that he knew how to do things with Magnus meant just that. He knew how to do it with Magnus. He never thought how fresh it could be to kiss someone else. In the back of his mind, he knew this would eventually happen, he couldn’t have that arrangement with Magnus forever. But this seemed all too soon and too scary and exciting at the same time.

The tongue, the flavor, the motions. All different.

All new.

The memories of the previous night were fading in his mind as he got to Magnus’ place, a familiar setting by now.

The door was unlocked, as it always was for him.

“You’re here”, Magnus said as soon as he heard the sound of Alec’s shoes hitting the floor (after that first night, the first thing Alec did once inside Magnus’ place was to be barefoot). He came near Alec and kissed him, and Alec was taken aback by the intimacy, the familiarity, the sense of something close to home that he felt - why did he feel that? -, like it was something only he could enjoy.

Magnus was quick to undress Alec and take him to the bedroom.

As always, no questions asked. Fun first. Magnus wanted Alec to take the lead tonight, he wanted Alec to do things to him, to make him scream and beg, wait, and scream again. Alec did, making Magnus come hard all over himself.

They were almost falling asleep after all the activity they engaged before. They just needed to rest, but for whatever reason, Alec spoke, almost without thinking:

“I went on a date last night.”

Alec! Why are you telling him that? Why?

Silence. He was waiting for a reaction, anything. He was hugging Magnus’ from behind, being the big spoon (but that wasn’t set in stone and they changed that occasionally), feeling Magnus’ chest move with each breath he took.

After a long time, Magnus finally spoke:

“How was it?”  
“Good, actually. Really good. The guy was really nice.”  
“Hmmm.”

Silence again.

Alec waited for more, but nothing came.

Nothing came.

Tired, he falls asleep.

*

Alec didn’t know this, but unlike him, Magnus was up all night.

Thinking.

Thinking about himself, about Alec, about that stupid date. Why was that bothering him so much? They didn’t have anything official. He always thought they were exclusive, and with the frequency, they were doing it, he knew Alec couldn’t have the energy to do it with anyone else (FYI, he didn’t have it too).

But dating was another territory. That could lead to feelings and all the shenanigans that follow that.

Now, Alec went on a date. Why? And the date was good. Why didn’t he ask more? Good how? Did you two kiss? Was the guy good looking? Did you two kiss? Why were you on a date in the first place? Did you share dessert and held hands at the end? Did you two freaking kiss?

Did you?

Not that it mattered.

The real problem was that, with that situation, Alec would certainly want to put an end to their encounters (right?) and Magnus wasn’t ready for that yet. Alec was fun. Sure, he made some lame jokes and he was a bit weird when he was drunk, but he was still a funny person. He used to explain to Magnus 387 reasons why cuddling was actually good for your health, which always made Magnus laughed. He really enjoyed the cuddling time, he just never told Alec that because he could use it as a bargain when he needed it.

Even being a strictly sexual relationship, for the most part, they exchanged a few acts of kindness. Alec used to wash Magnus’ hair when they showered together. Magnus would make Alec’s coffee the way he liked it (okay, that was black, no sugar, but hey, the fact that he remembered that was something) and would get them an extra blanket during the night because Alec was always a bit chilly. Little things. But they were important to Magnus somehow.

And now this dating thing could put all in jeopardy.

Or he could let Alec go and live his life already and Magnus…

Well, Magnus needed to figure that out.

Two days later - because damn they need to recover - Magnus texted again.

Magnus, don’t be like that. Are you begging already? Man, get it together. Let’s rethink this. He deleted the message and wrote a new one:

See, much better. Not needy. Not insecure. Same old Mags.

“Busy. Tomorrow. Again.”

It was the first time Magnus got a message from Alec that made him not happy.

*

To say that something unusual or unexpected happened that night is not enough to describe the situation.

So, Alec was there. He was standing in Magnus’ living room and for the first time, Magnus felt that sorrow that precedes departures and losses. His heart felt smaller. Unlike you might expect, however, Magnus didn’t address any of that.

Because why, right?

Instead, he led Alec to his couch, undressing the man quickly and throwing that really good-looking naked body against the cold leather of his furniture. The lube, the condoms, all that they needed (for now) was placed on the center table, easy to reach. Magnus got undress too, chasing Alec’s lips, laying on top of him. Alec crossed his legs behind Magnus, bringing them closer.

They enjoyed that for a while - but, to be honest, Magnus was eager to be a bit rough today and not spent that much time on foreplay. That’s why he asked Alec to get on his fours, which Alec did.

Magnus reached out for the things on the table near him. Alec was already exposed to Magnus, waiting. Magnus came near Alec’s entrance and just licked it. Unceremoniously. He wasn’t shy about it. He did that more times, speeding up while reaching up to Alec’s cock to give him more stimulation. Alec was twitching and moaning low, saying a lot of “yes” and “uhum” back to Magnus.

His tongue, that was still exploring every inch of Alec’s entrance, was replaced by fingers and, next, by Magnus himself, that entered Alec less tenderly that he was used to doing. Alec didn’t complain once. Magnus waited less than usual too before starting moving, his hand on Alec’s side, making the man’s ass to slide against his own dick over and over. Over and over. Alec was not getting hurt or anything, but he felt something new that Magnus never showed before. A feeling that Magnus was marking his territory somehow.

They were both moaning and saying that eventual “fuck” here and there. They were sweating and everything was starting to feel like too much. Suddenly, Magnus stopped his movements and told Alec to lie on his back. Alec never questioned or protested anything, simply obeying Magnus’ commands.

He was in the new position Magnus asked him to be. Magnus placed Alec’s legs behind his back, embracing him. They were locked. Magnus was inside Alec again. Alec was touching himself, and Magnus was enjoying the view and his own movements inside Alec too much.  
The climax was building up once again in Alec’s insides, he knew it. Magnus was feeling it happening to him too.

Alec had his eyes closed now, open mouth, enjoying Magnus’ roughness in and out, hitting him in the right place, making him to almost reach orgasm so fast and, damn, so good, he was almost gone. That’s why, when he spoke, he never knew Magnus, almost there as well, was about to speak too:

“I’m so close.”  
“Date me.”

And Alec opened his eyes.


	5. Jace wants to do a recap. So...

“Okay, let’s do a little recap.”

(See, reader, I warned you!)

“There’s no need, Jace, I just-”  
“So, like, four months ago”, Jace started ignoring Alec, “you were a virgin gay guy with no expectations of changing that before your 51st birthday.”

Sigh.

“Okay, continue.” Alec knew there’s no point in trying to stop this anyway. 

“But then, life smiled at you in the form of your two amazing siblings, that made that awesome and very effective bet with you.”  
“Right.”  
“And, as expected, you lost.”  
“I did.”  
“Which lead us to that club.”  
“Yes.”  
“Where we were introduced to-”  
“Magnus.”  
“Nope. Horny Alec.”  
“What?”

I mean, was he lying? Not really. 

“Jace, I don’t…”  
“Horny Alec was trying to get poor Magnus pregnant in that dancefloor, as I recall correctly.”  
“I don’t think that-”  
“After that you went to his place, leaving your awesome and gorgeous brother behind, like the awful person you are.”

Sigh again. 

“And as expected, you failed miserably in your first attempt of having sex with Magnus.”  
“As expected? Wait a minute, who-”  
“But after that, you were determined, and you came back. In an unexpected turn of events, you gave it another try and apparently, you succeed at it. That or Magnus have really low standards in life.”  
“Jace, I don’t kn-”  
“So for everyone’s surprise: A. You continued to do it. B. You continued to do ONLY that.”

True. 

“Honestly, Alec, I always thought of you more of a romantic guy. I never saw you doing something like that. So… unattached.”

Well, to be fair, he wasn’t unattached. Alec used to wait all day for his time with Magnus. He knew they were only doing the physical part of a relationship, but in a way that already gave him a sense of “having a person”, hmmm, that sounds weird, but you know how it is? When you had a busy day or a crappy day, and things don’t go well, and you had enough, but in the end, it doesn’t really matter that much because you know you’ll see that person (that “special someone”) later and things will be fine anyway? It wasn’t just about having sex - that was pretty good too -, it was about spending that time just the two of them, taking showers and listening to Magnus rambling about shampoos and scents while in there, it was about cuddling and waking up together, sharing quick breakfasts. 

Was Alec wanting more from this?

“Jace, I’m not unattached. You don’t know how it is when-”  
“Well, Izzy thinks that you’re in fact pretty much attached. And should have more experiences in life. So she ‘parent trap’ you.”

Oh yeah, Troy.

“I still can’t believe she did that!”, Alec was still pretty offended.  
“Pffff, I totally do. What blew me away was the fact that you actually stayed and had a date with that guy. Taylor.”  
“Troy.”  
“Whatever. Do we like Troy?”

Do we? 

“He was really nice. It was a really nice first date.”  
“And will you two go on a second one?”  
“I don’t know yet, Jace.”  
“Because, and I still can’t believe all this is happening to you and not me, Magnus, in another twist of events, asked you out as well!”

That was one way of saying it. 

“How did he asked you?”  
“Hmmm…”  
“Were you two talking about something in particular?”  
“Yes”.

Nope. Magnus was basically fucking him on the couch, but sure. Talking. 

“And I was saying something important at the time, I think.”

Aka, “I’m so close.” Super important info. 

“And out of the blue, he changed the subject and asked me out.”  
“And you said…?”

What else could Alec say when Magnus literally asked that still inside of him?

He said yes. 

Well, eventually. 

*

Jace kept saying he couldn’t believe that that was Alec’s life now and, to be fair, he was experimenting the same astoundment. 

Tonight, for the first time since he met Magnus, they were seeing each other not to have sex, but to go on a date. 

Alec was excited about this, yes, but on the other hand, he was also slightly sad that Magnus asked him on this date only AFTER Alec told him about his time with Troy. Why was Alec upset in the first place? Hmmm, okay, maybe he pictured that happening in a more “romantic” moment. He wanted to be special. And, above all things, he wanted to be sure it was something Magnus truly wanted as well. After all, what was Magnus trying to do? Maybe he was only worried about not having Alec as his sex toy anymore. Maybe he was just being jealous, possessive, and had no real interest in Alec as a person. Perhaps… perhaps Alec should stop overthinking this and should go, otherwise, he would be late. 

Alec had a lot of questions about the date, but honestly, Magnus was in no better shape. That request, “date me”, was totally unexpected, a mix of a demand and a supplication, that burst out of him, strange even to himself. He said it and even after his own surprise, he didn’t take it back. When Alec opened his eyes, after hearing that, Magnus couldn’t tell what was going through his mind. The man just said “What?”, leading them to stop what they were doing and disentangling themselves from each other’s embrace.

“Do you… I think we... “, Magnus started again and Alec never saw him like that. Hesitant. Stutter. 

“Are you asking me out?”  
“Apparently, yes.”  
“Why?”  
“Why not?”

Why not? Is that even a reason?

Magnus continued. 

“One date. Just… to see. You know, how it is. And we already know each other.”

Really? Do they know each other? 

“Why are you asking me now?”  
“Alec, can you just… Look, it’s a simple yes or no question. It’s fine if you don’t want to”, and Magnus left the couch, where they were sitting until now, to go to his room and get his robe. He was feeling exposed.

Alec breathed heavily. He literally went from almost climax to downhill in minutes. In seconds. 

Magnus was coming back, after a quick stop in the bathroom, but instead of going to Alec, he went to the kitchen, to make some coffee. (Really? Is this the time to do that, Magnus?)

Alec decided to put on his clothes again.

He was now following the aroma of coffee, leading him to Magnus in the kitchen. Magnus was pretending to be busy looking for something in a cabinet when Alec came closer to him and touched his shoulder. Magnus turned to him, insecure, and Alec smiled. And kissed him. With tenderness. 

“I’ll go out with you.”

His hand was on Magnus’ cheek now. 

“Okay. Good.”  
“Good. Well, since you’re the one that asked me, let me know when and where.”  
“Tomorrow.”

Tomorrow Alec had another date with Troy, but he could reschedule that, no?

“It’s a date”, Alec confirmed and kissed Magnus again before going home. 

After all, he had an important date to get ready for.


	6. Hot dogs, anyone?

Magnus wanted to make an impression. Why? He had no idea. He just felt like this was important, so he was running the extra mile. Which was absurd. He met Alec in a club. And he thought that would lead to nothing.

Man, he was clueless about life.

Tonight, he made reservations in this fancy, almost exclusive place. He realized he had no idea what Alec likes. Well, he had a pretty good idea (*insert naughty wink*), but also, he had no idea. He knew Alec likes coffee, but he suspected he couldn’t arrange a whole date involving that.

He was nervous.

Since Alec usually saw him at his place and most of the time he was naked, he decided to invest more time to look good and, well, make Alec forget other men existed at all.

One in particular.

And, we gotta be honest, when Magnus Bane decides to impress you, sorry, you are doomed.

DOOMED.

He was on full charming glam tonight: a real fitted red suit matching a black buttoned-up shirt underneath (he was trying to not reveal too much, ahahahahah), a bit of gold eyeliner to make his eyes pop. His hair was so styled it looked like a marble sculpture. A hurricane couldn’t undo that (maybe Alec would try, later). A lot of rings in his fingers and he was ready.

He got to the restaurant early. Like 45 minutes early. Magnus! Calm down. It will be fine. You’re good at this. It’s just a date. With a guy you already know. A guy you already sucked, and licked, and… you know. It’s just Alec.

How can this go wrong at all?  


*  


Alec got there 10 minutes before the time Magnus texted him to be. He was sweating. He walked to the place, thinking it was a good idea to calm him down, but now he had sweat stains under his armpits. Great.

Alec, don’t be nervous just because it’s the second date of your life. With a guy you are having sex with already.

Okay, let’s do this. And remember Jace’s advice: you can always have sex in the bathroom.

He shook his head. No sex. Tonight was about everything but that.

He walked in. He looked good (he thought so, I mean, the hair pomade was back on). He saw Magnus immediately. That man was sinful. Alec breathed. He walked close to their table and Magnus got up to greet him. Magnus opened his arms to hug him, while Alec was prepared to kiss him. They kinda bumped into each other.

Well, that started awesome.

Alec always imagined sex as being the difficult part of a relationship.

Here’s a life lesson to you all: sex usually is NOT the difficult part.

Everything else, on the other hand, is.

*****

They stopped and looked at each other. Alec offered his hand to Magnus while the man went to kiss him.

Damn it, this is awkward.

“Maybe we should just sit”, Alec said.

Magnus agreed.

The waitress was in front of them in seconds, offering two menus to each one of them. One for the food and other with the wine suggestions for the evening. She excused herself to give them time to choose.

For a start, Alec knew nothing about wine.

Besides the exorbitant prices for, well, everything, Alec saw another problem immediately.

“Hummm. Call me an idiot but I just noticed this is a seafood restaurant.”

“You're going to love the lobster here, it's divine!”

Alec, say this in a polite and non-alarming way, okay?

“If I eat here, I'll die.”

That was perfect.

“Excuse me?”, Magnus said obviously alarmed. That man was always so extreme, no?

“I'm allergic to a lot of this… things. My throat closes and it's a whole scene. I can actually die.”

“Oh.”

Congratulations, Magnus, you can start a new version of The Bachelor: “Deadly edition”.

“I had no idea, I'm so sorry.”

“No, it's okay. I… well, we… and…”

“We never talked about these things before”, Magnus finally addressed the elephant (lobster?) in the room.

“I don't think so.”

They were looking at each other in comfortable silence. If comfortable is equal weird and unsettling.

The waitress came back.

“So, do you know what you want?”

“Do you think the chef can make me an omelet?”, Alec asked sincerely.

“No!”, Magnus protested. “We're leaving", he told the woman.

“What? No. Magnus, we can stay. I can… have dinner later, at my place”, Alec offered, trying to make the situation better.

 

Magnus' eye rolled to that. What kind of first date was this?

“Alec, I invited you to have a meal with me. The idea is not for you to watch me eat alone, and you to eat later. Unless you have a kink about that….”

“I don't.”

“I thought so. Okay, we're leaving”, Magnus said to Alec. And now, to the waitress: “He is allergic to all the deliciousness from the sea. And I didn't know, sorry”.

Magnus could swear the waitress was judging him. And that's why he said:

‘It's a blind date”, before thanking her again and disappearing from that place, next to Alec.

“Why you told her this is a blind date? It's not", Alec asked after they walked a block next to each other after leaving the restaurant.

“It's not? So tell me. What do I do for a living?”

Alec was quiet.

“What's my middle name?”

Same reaction.

“What's my favorite movie?”

Again, nothing.

“See. You don't know a thing about me. This is practically a blind date, don't you think?”

Alec was not very proud to admit that yes, maybe they really needed to spend their time and energy on other activities than the physical one they enjoyed so much. At least, it was how Alec felt.

And Magnus?

“So”, Alec started, “do you wanna know me better?”

“I asked you out, haven't I?”

And Magnus gave Alec an honest and open smile that melted his insides.

Alec suddenly had a brilliant idea (Alec is obviously redefining the concept of ‘brilliant’ here): “Okay. I'm gonna take you to the most disgusting hot dog place in NY. If you eat that and don't throw up in the first half an hour, I will answer five questions you have. About anything you wanna know. And I'll be totally honest.”

That was the most absurd and ridiculous idea ever, but again, Alec and his siblings used to do those kinds of bets when one of them needed some encouragement or incentive in life. The idea may seem stupid, but it was a harmless bet like that that made Alec end up in the club a few months ago. And honestly, Alec was feeling like a genius.

Magnus was not on the same page, clearly. “Are you serious? I just saved your life and in return, you wanna poison me with dirty hot dogs?”

“Yes! I mean, no. I mean… unless you're scared.”

Pffffffffff, boi.

Do not - I repeat - do not say that to Magnus Gorgeous Bane.

You will regret it.

“Show me the way!”, Magnus said, a determination in his voice.

*

They walked a few blocks to get to this busy corner where the most disgusting hot dog was waiting to threaten people's lives.

Magnus had to admit the place was nasty. It was all dirty and smelling funny. The sausages were in the water for so long they were the same size as Alec's thighs (Magnus can confirm that!). The water was almost neon orange. Magnus was sure that was his last night on Earth.

He looked at the “food” and then back at Alec.

“I don't know if you worth all this trouble”.

Alec's eyes widened and he immediately had an “oh, really?” expression. Who's being challenged now? He was facing Magnus and moved his body in a way to be completely in front of him. He reached out and touched Magnus’ palms with his thumbs, a simple but tender gesture, that took Magnus by surprise. It was soothing and welcoming. Magnus was looking at their hands. Two seconds later, with Magnus’ guard down, Alec attacked him (that's the only way Mags could describe it), and suddenly they were all tongues and teeth and breathing and urgency and wetness and lip bites and little moans that make your body protest the existence of clothes and-

And Alec stopped and gave a step back. And was now looking at hot dogs again. Unaffected.

Magnus wished he could say the same about himself.

“Give me two hot dogs!”, Magnus asked (ahaha, he almost begged!), forgetting any pride he had until now.

*

They were silently eating, sitting on a bench in the park. There was palpable tension in the air. Magnus had to eat both hot dogs in less than 15 minutes (Alec's rules) and wait at least another 30 minutes to see if he was going to be sick. Alec ordered one hot dog for himself and 2 bottles of water.

Magnus already ate one. It was like… like being punished alive. Alec was slowly eating his, next to Magnus, watching every reaction the other man gave him.

“Oh, why did you let me have 2?”

“You seemed so determined, it didn't feel right to stop you.”

Magnus was looking at hot dog number 2 and he swore he could see himself throwing up. He was about to do it right now.

Magnus took 19 minutes to eat the first hot dog. Technically, Alec already won.

“I'm gonna be sick!”, Magnus said using all the strength he got to not throw up right there.

“I WON! I mean, I know. I mean, I'm sorry! That always happens the first time you eat there. After a few more tries your body develops resistance. Do you want water?”

“Uhum.”

Alec gave Magnus a bottle, that the man took eagerly. He was now with his head between his legs, trying to make his stomach to stop complaining. Alec was rubbing his back.

They stayed like that for a while.

Finally, Magnus wasn't pale anymore. Or not as much.

“Are you okay?”

“I'm better. A little.”

“Good. Because I have the right to ask you 5 questions.”

“Was that the agreement?”

“According to my rules, yes!”, Alec replied with excitement.

(Alec forgot to tell that part of his rules to Magnus, but the man was in no condition to protest.)

Magnus drank more water.

“Hit me.”

Magnus was still feeling nauseated. He couldn’t believe his amazing ‘lobster night’ turned out to be ‘hot dog from hell night’. But he loved a challenge, so, hot dogs made from old toilets (it tasted like it) and questions it is. And Alec was so happy...

Alec knew he would win, even so, he never prepared his questions. Okay, he could improvise!

“Question number 1. What's your favorite movie?”

“It's a Wonderful Life. I cry every time.”

Owwwww. Cute.

“Okay. Question number 2. Who are those people around you in the photographs you have in your house?”

“Friends.“

“I think you can be more specific than that.”

“Fiiiiiiine. The lady is Cat, my loyal friend since the beginning of time. The Latino is Raphael and the elderly is Ragnor. We all met on different occasions in life and we're together since. We go out to drink regularly. Well, not that regularly since I met you. You kept me busy.”

“That was better, thank you. Okay. Third question. Hmmmm…  Do you know that… when we did it, it was my first time?”

Alec! Whyyyyyyyy? Damn it, man.

Magnus was looking at Alec very seriously.

“I suspected.”

To be fair, he really did. When Alec was bottom for the first time (he asked for that), he had to come clean and ask Magnus to… guide him. Magnus was pleased to do that. It felt like a step… somewhere, you know? Since sex was such a taboo thing for people to talk about, the fact that Alec was so honest about it and trust Magnus to share that with him felt important. Meaningful.

The first time felt awkward, Alec had to admit that. But Magnus was gentle and gave him the time he needed to get used to the feeling. The first time was okay.

The second time was better.

The third time was so good Magnus cuddle Alec as soon as they ended. He collapsed, exhausted.

But again, when they did it for the first time ever, Magnus suspected that Alec had never done that before.

“What? Bullshit! You did not.”

“Alec… you… gave me a few signs. When you first had me in your mouth, I had to ask you 400 times not to use your teeth. Remember? And when we did it, after you came to my apartment unannounced, you were really unsure of how to do a few things. But don't worry, you did great. And you learn fast, that's always a bonus.”

Maaaaaaaaaaaan, that was frustrating. Alec thought Magnus would never know something like this. He was shy and quiet suddenly.

“Hey”, Magnus said, touching his chin and forcing Alec to look at him. “It's a normal thing. You have nothing to be embarrassed about. You were great. And with practice comes perfection, you know? And we are practicing, aren't we?”

Alec gave a shy smile. Magnus came closer and kissed him. It was brief. When he was done, he decided to hold Alec's hand.

Well, that was pleasant. They… fit.

“You have two more questions.”

Right. Alec. Don't waste this. Good questions! Think.

“Question number 4. What's your middle name?”

Alec, you're a disappointment!

“Ahhhhh, that's tricky, I don't have one.”

Alec laughed. “Mine is Gideon. My mom decided to honor an old relative. So I became Alexander Gideon Lightwood.”

“That's a strong name.”

“Yeah, maybe.”

“Alexander. I like that”, Magnus said making Alec blush. Men blushing is such a thing, you know?

“Final question”, Magnus announced, before Alec’s cuteness became too distracting.

Alec was looking at their hands. He brought them close to his lips and kissed Magnus’. The hotness against his cold skin made Magnus shiver a bit.

“Question number 5. Do you…”

Alec was thinking, not facing Magnus. He had these funny little moments where he went back to be this shy, private, reserved person, different from his usual self around Mags. To be fair, Magnus loved to see that. Maybe it was an effect only he could bring it out on Alec. The idea made him happy.

“Yes?”

“Question number 5. Would you like to go to my place?”, Alec offered. “We never did it there”, he said kind of playful, kinda serious. “If you want to, of course.”

“Sounds like an excellent idea”, Magnus agreed.  

YES, ALEC! GREAT QUESTION. YOU'RE THE MAN.

“And I live like… 300 blocks from here, so you'll have plenty of time to recover from this bet.”

“Isn't that all a man wants to hear?”, Magnus said it back, almost laughing.

*

They were kissing heavily now since things were heating up pretty fast. They were at the old elevator in Alec’s building, a space Magnus wasn’t sure it was safe to go in. Alec didn’t give him much choice, pushing him inside and putting his tongue in the other man’s throat almost immediately.

They walked 200 miles (it felt like that). Alec was tired. And horny. Who could blame him? Magnus’ buttoned up shirt was really doing the trick for him tonight. And, don’t worry, Magnus was feeling better by now.

When they reached Alec’s floor, he grabbed Magnus’ hand in order to make the man walk out of the elevator. He was still holding Magnus’ hand when he tried to get his keys. The door of his apartment appeared to be unlocked - did he forget to…?

And when he was going inside, with Magnus attached to his lips again, he heard a voice he wished it was from a mugler, but he knew better. He knew that too well.

“HE’S BACK!”, Jace yelled, holding a slice of pizza. Alec jumped, and Magnus was surprised as well since they weren’t expecting an audience.

“Jace! Why are you here?”

Oh, Magnus remembered that one. Irrelevant Blonde Guy! Long time no see.

“HE’S NOT ALONE”, Jace said it again, meaning…

Izzy should be there too.

They were still near the door, hand in hand. A female voice shouted from the inside of the apartment: “Oh my God, is it Troy? That guy owes me big ti-”

And Alec was suddenly stiff and uncomfortable. In a reflex, Magnus was not holding his hand anymore.  

Jace made an ‘oh-oh’ kind of face and, two seconds later, they were all joined by Izzy, that realized her mistake pretty soon. She looked at Magnus and literally said “Ooooohhh”.

No one dared to move. Izzy froze, she was a bit embarrassed. Oops!

Jace tried to make it better. “Hi, I’m Jace, I don’t think we have ever been actually introduced to each other.”

Magnus decided to be polite. “Hi, I remember you from that other night. I’m Magnus, nice to meet you”. They shook hands.

Izzy decided to introduce herself too. “Hi, sorry about that, I was… well, it doesn’t matter. I’m Izzy. Alec’s sis.”

“Hello, Izzy.”

“Again, what are you doing here anyway?”, Alec asked really angry at this point.

“Well, we needed money for pizza and we wanted to gossip, so naturally we came here to wait for you”, Jace clarified.

“Naturally”, Alec repeated.

“Well, you seem to be busy and I have to get up early tomorrow anyway,  so… I think I’m going home.”

Magnus said that and Alec felt miserable.

“No, you don’t have to. Those two should go, not you.”

“No, Alec, it’s okay. Enjoy your family time. We can talk some other time. Thank you for your company tonight. It was lovely to meet you all. Good night”. Magnus said that, followed by a mention with his head. He didn’t make eye contact with Alec anymore. He went to the door and was out of that apartment with his pride shattered and a bitter taste in his mouth.

(Not from the hot dog, just to clarify.)

  



	7. Confrontation

“Izzy! I will kill you, fuck. What was that?”

“Sorry, we thought tonight was your date with Troy again. There was no way I could guess you would go out with that guy. You never tell us anything”, Izzy tried to defend herself.

“Why are you so determined to make my life miserable, Izzy? Explain that to me.”

“Alec, I’m not. I love you. The thing is, you’re older but you’re still so naive, so inexperienced. You’ve only been with one guy and you’re already acting like you found ‘the one’ or something. This is ridiculous. You need to live, to have other experiences. Trust me on this. Otherwise, you’ll wake up one day full of regret. You’ll keep wondering and it will be too late for you.”

“Izzy, how can you ask me to trust you when you can’t trust me or my decisions? How is this fair?”

“Alec, I don’t-”

“And who put you in charge of anything? I never asked you to fix my life or to do anything like that. Stop interfering, damn it.”

Jace was looking at both of them, the anger palpable in every word Alec spit to Izzy’s direction.

“Look, I know better, I know how this will end up. You’ll think this thing you have with Magnus is special and everlasting, but it’s just sex, Alec, wake up. He will ditch you for someone different in a heartbeat and you’ll be devastated for what? For him? Be real. Go live your life while you can. Why you wanna act like this is something more than it is?”

“Izzy, I'm sorry if you always end up having the worst experiences ever. I know you get hurt every time, even if you don't admit it, I know you want someone to stay with you. I know it hurts. But I swear this won't happen to me, I'm fine."

"You're not. You're just too stupid to see this is going nowhere. People leave, Alec. This guy will leave, Troy will leave, they always do. Why are you even trying? Move on!"

"I swear to God, Izzy, stop talking”, Alec was almost shaking, he was losing his temper.

“And honestly, are you developing feelings for that guy? This is just because he’s your first. You’ll get over him. This is ridiculous. Like people would actually find someone in their first attempt. You're blind and this is not how life-”

“Izzy, enough. Get out.”

“What?”, Jace and Izzy said that at the same time. Alec never acted like that before. He wasn’t proud of this, but sometimes we need to put limits on people. This madness from Izzy’s part was already too far. Enough of this. Now he couldn’t look at her face, so, she really needed to go.

“Alec, are you serious? You can’t kick me out of your place.”

“Yeah? Watch me. And, as you just said, ‘my place’. A place where you’re not welcome right now. Leave.”

“Alec!”

“LEAVE, DAMN IT. OUT.”

“But Alec…”, Jace started.

“Jace, you’re barely making it. I really suggest you shut up.”

Alec never acted like that around them. They were his family!

But you know what? People gotta learn. Having “good intentions” is not enough. And sometimes being tough is the only way we can show them how to be better.

Izzy grabbed her purse and went to Alec: “I can’t believe you are doing this because of him. I really hope he is worth it.”

And she left.

*

Troy.

“Is it Troy?”

“Is it Troy?”

“Is it Troy?”

The question was going through his head over and over. Is it Troy?

Nope, it wasn’t. It was Magnus. And apparently, that was a problem. Or a disappointment. Or whatever. At least to Alec’s sister. That can’t be good.

He knew he made Alec reschedule his date with “He who must not be named”. The message he got from Alec was weird, different from the previous ones. <I’ll be busy tomorrow again, so today works.> He was practically telling Magnus about his plans. It wasn’t the usual “busy”. It was “busy tomorrow again”. Alec shared that info after having told him about the date. Seriously. Magnus saw enough CSI episodes to solve mysterious murders in rich people’s parties. And to read between the lines of text messages.

So he knew he needed to make his move.

Okay, he may not have chosen the best moment to do that, but who cares? Alec said yes. He wanted to go on a date with Magnus. And Mags.... oh boy, he was scared. He was scared after he realized how much he wanted Alec to say yes, how much he wanted to surpass “He who must not be named”. And most of all, how much he really wanted to hit it off with Alec, how he wanted them to have a good time, to have fun. To see that maybe there could be something more. Something he was sad to admit he was missing in his life.

He wanted to be free. To be careless. To sometimes just talk to Alec about his day and the ridiculous turtlenecks shirts people were wearing now (what the hell, people?), to complain about Ragnor’s awful humor (awful because it was non existent), to send text messages in the middle of the day to say that he saw something that reminded him of Alec. I don’t know, damn it, anything.

Oh God. He was having sex as much as he wanted in his life and he was sad about it.

Alec ruined sex for him!

Jesus, Magnus, look at you.

Calm the freak down!

Anyway, back to the sad recap that Magnus was doing alone while walking home. The date was so nice. It had the most deadly and weird outcome. He loved it. Alec was shy, funny, bold, caring, horny (that seem to be permanent), adventurous…

Basically, Tall and Everything in the Menu.   

And then, Alec’s sister.

Not a very nice lady.

The problem wasn’t really the fact that she was noticeably sad to see Magnus there. It was the fact that Troy existed and that Alec had this other... possibility. It was the fact that, at the mention of Troy, Izzy reminded everyone that Alec and Magnus were... nothing.

Well, Magnus was done with that shit. He was done.

I know what you’re thinking now. That Magnus will give up and sit in a corner and cry and be miserable and drink martinis until that thing come out of his ears.

Please.

If you’re expecting this, you’re clearly reading the wrong story.

 


	8. The author and the protagonist

Here’s the thing. Alec wasn’t acting like that with Izzy because of Magnus - at least, not at first or not just because of him. Alec was doing that mostly because of himself. He needed it to gain control of his life again. He needed to listen to himself and figure out what he wanted, who we wanted, and what he was willing to do for that. He needed all those voices around him to shut up, to let him think for a minute.

Izzy left, but Jace was still there. “Do you want me to go too?”

“No, it’s okay.”

“Sorry about being here, we had no idea you would bring Magnus to your place.”

“Yeah… He must be so hurt, damn it.”

“And what about Troy?”

“What about him?”, Alec asked honestly. Troy was the least of his concerned now. He couldn’t care less about Troy at the moment.  

“I mean, the date…”

“Oh, Magnus asked me to go out with him tonight, so I told Troy something came up.”

“Hmmm, I see. And how was the date with Magnus?”

“It was awkward at first”, and Alec laughed. “But it was great. I don’t know, being around him is always good, I guess.”

“And with Troy?”

Why were they talking about Troy so much? He wanted to go to Magnus right now, to explain things. Explain… what exactly?

So Alec thought for a second about Jace’s question. 

“Troy is nice. He’s a really nice guy, he’s open, reliable, mature, stupidly good-looking. I mean, if Magnus could be an underwear model, Troy is actually one. You know?”

“So, what’s the problem?”

“There’s no problem. It’s just… I don’t know. There’s something missing. I mean, he’s fun and all, but he’s so… average. I can’t explain.”

“Average? The guy spends his day in his underwear, how can he be average?”

“I know, I’m not making any sense. Troy is the kind of guy I was supposed to be drawn to I think. He’s perfect, really. And still, there’s no spark. I don’t feel butterflies or anything. It doesn’t seem special. I mean, it was a good date with him and the kiss was great and all, but I would be totally okay not seeing him again”, he said more to himself than to Jace properly. He continued after a pause. “Do you remember when we were at the club that time? When I saw Magnus’ across the dancefloor... That was… Completely different. It was like he was calling me, as if he as there for me, I can’t even explain it, but I felt something new.”

“Yeah, you were horny as hell.”

Alec laughed. 

“No, Jace. I mean, yes. God, yes. But it wasn’t just that, I think. Obviously, there was this attraction, but I kept coming back to him, you know? I don’t know if it was just because of sex. Now that I think about it, sex is not that hard to get. I could have that with other guys for months now.”

“Damn, I never imagined I would hear you of all people saying that.”

“I know”, and he was scratching his head. “But seriously. The more I think about, the more I get this… feeling? I mean, I called Magnus not even an hour after I left his place. And he never called me a creep because of that (narrator’s note: but maybe he should). Being with Magnus is the best part of my day for sure, and when I see his face I’m already happy.”

“Because you know you will fornicate.”

“No, Jace, fuck, no! It’s not that!”

And that was true. Alec was just happy around Magnus. And he felt loose around him. Free. The bet thing he did tonight with Magnus was something that he knew he would never do with Troy, for example. For the simple reason that he felt like he could be weird and playful around Magnus and that he would be understood. He would be accepted. 

And, as if someone turned on an imaginary lamp in Alec’s head, he understood something.

 

Alec always imagined he would eventually be in a relationship once he was ready to be in one. He always focused on that. In being in a relationship. That’s why with Magnus he never demanded anything else. That wasn’t a relationship. And that kind of commitment would naturally come up, once he met someone in a romantic surrounding - you know, they would be in a cute and beautiful coffee shop and their orders would be mixed up or they would reach at the same time for something that fell on the floor and BOOM, LOVE. RELATIONSHIP. MARRIAGE. HAPPY ENDING. THE END. 

Wasn’t that the script?

(Okay, to be 100% fair, that script wasn’t even a possibility to gay people a while back, but things were changing. And he had dreams too, damn it. He wanted his happy ending too, why not?)

Taking all that into consideration, meeting a guy in a club, losing his virginity to that said guy (after a failed first attempt) and continued to have sex with that guy (and only that) for more than two months was clearly not the plan. 

That was not the script in his head!

But really: do we need a plan? Do we need to follow a script? 

Can’t we just write our own?

Because Alec was understanding now, as he remembered Magnus’s hurt expression behind the fake and polite smile he gave before leaving Alec’s apartment, that he too was hurt by Magnus’ departure. He wasn’t worried about relationships, about labels, about plans and scripts, about Troy (sorry, who?). He was just worried about Magnus. 

So maybe, maybe, we don’t have to be ready for a relationship after all. Maybe we need to be ready to find a person. Not a “special-fairy tale-meet at the bakery” kind of person. Just a person that makes you willing to take the next step, whatever that step is. 

And Alec was getting more and more certain that, against all he thought and imagine before, against all Izzy was expecting to happen, against his own expectations, against all he told himself about Magnus (“it’s not a big deal”, “it’s just sex”, “pffff, no, I don’t miss him”), he was willing to give that step. 

Into Magnus’ direction. 

*

Let’s not forget that Alec was thinking all of that while Jace was there, waiting for him to finish his thoughts, eating another slice of pizza. Alec went quiet for a long time, drinking and getting pizza as well - since, technically, he paid for it. They were eating in silence. 

Alec sighed, loudly, and started talking. 

“I get that Izzy is worried and she thinks I’m rushing into this, but isn’t the point of dating 600 different people to find someone that makes me feel the way I’m feeling already about Magnus? (Aren’t we admitting feelings now? Wow, that’s a change). Why do I have to search more? I haven’t been with a lot of people, so that automatically means I know nothing about myself and my feelings? I bet that if I was sleeping around she would say that I became easy or I'm behaving like a male whore or whatever - which, by the way, is also an awful thing to say... There’s no way to win, is there?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

“Well, I think that if people need to search a lot and have various experiences, it’s okay. And if life kinda gives them a shortcut and they find a nice person to hang out within their first attempt, it’s also okay. True to be told, this thing is already hard to do without being worried about labels or being enough and all that crap.”

Jace was quiet, his mouth was full of pizza. “Uhum” was the only reply he gave. 

Alec was sure what he wanted to do. And fate intervened again. He felt his phone buzzing in his pocket. 

“Oh, crap”. He showed the device to Jace. 

“What are you going to do?”, his brother asked. 

“What I have to”, and he picked up the phone. “Hey.”


	9. New nickname

Magnus was getting ready to go to war.

Not really, but the man was prepared. He was on a mission. He decided that he liked Alec (he admitted to himself, but “decided” works). He liked him enough to give them a chance. After he was back from work, he decided to make a list of arguments to say to Alec to convince him it was a good idea for them to try this for real.

What a great plan.

(Because saying ‘hey, I like you’ is so outdated, you know?)

They didn’t exchange texts that day.

Which was fine, Magnus was not expecting Alec to write at all. No, Sir.

Back to the list, he was going through the topics over and over. So far, he wrote in his yellow notepad the following (with personal notes next to each topic):

PROS

\- He would be dating Magnus Bane (do I need more?)

\- Relationship = combo sex + emotional support

\- Knowing each other (no more deadly lobsters)

\- Sex at Alexander’s as well (is this a good point?)

\- No more Troy (that’s a PRO just for me)

\- ALL THE CUDDLES ALEXANDER WANTS (save that for last, it’s a desperate move)  


CONS

\- I’m not Troy (Investigate if Alec likes this guy!)

\- If Alexander doesn’t want a relationship, the sex thing is over (I have self-esteem, sadly!)

\- Being in a relationship may also diminish sex frequency (we can put an effort not to make this a reality!!!!!!!!!!)

\- Alec’s sis hates me (#teamTroy? Really investigate this!)

This list was looking pointless to him. He was stuck to that for the past hour. He decided to drink some wine to get inspiration. He was in his fourth glass already and nothing. He started scratching “I’m not Troy” from the Cons column. He stared that stupid list for a while, adding finally at the Pros column: “I want this.”

And now he decided to get it.

He poured more wine on his glass and drank that in one motion. Liquid courage. He was ready to leave his place (well, he was fully dressed, that was something), he opened the door of his apartment only to find Alec there, ready to knock, fist in the air. That was such a surprise - to both of them - that Alec couldn’t stop himself. He said, spontaneously:

“I don’t wanna have sex with you.”

Man, I swear. I’m the narrator, and I’m about to give up on Alec. Can you just… not?

Magnus thought that maybe he should change his plans after all. He was looking at Alec with the angriest expression:

“And it’s so nice of you to come all the way here just to tell me that. And I even bothered making a list, Alexander, really!” and Magnus, a tiny bit tipsy, was closing the door in Alec’s face.

But Alec noticed what he just said and how it sounded. And before he could hit his head against the nearest wall, he decided to clarify that first:

“No, wait.”

Magnus was not in the mood. He started screaming, actually, in an attempt to scare Alec away and make him released the door he was holding open:

“Alexander, I don’t need your dick! I’m done with it. I made a list of other guys I could fuck instead of you, FYI. There are almost 400 names in it by now. And I not even started the girls’ list because I’m so smart I can have fun without dicks too.”

Magnus, what are you doing? You wanted to be with this guy 5 minutes ago. Can't you listen to him?

Magnus didn’t know what led Alec not to believe his words. Maybe, he suspected, the mention of the number 400 might seem a bit much. (He could make a list like that if you’re wondering - even with more names!)

The fact was that Alec was still preventing him from shutting the door for good (metaphorically and physically) and he just said: “You didn’t make that list, I know you, stop lying to me!”

But Magnus knew what made him stop struggling: “I know you.”

He looked at Alec’s face and decided to let the other one get in his apartment finally.

Alec was relieved. He walked in and took off his shoes, something he not even think about; it was an automatic and familiar thing for him to do once he was with Magnus.

Mags was ignoring that, getting himself more wine. Sure, that will help now.

“Magnus,” Alec started, barefoot, walking in Magnus’ direction. “Look, I express myself in the wrong way, I’m sorry.”

“I think you were pretty clear.” Another glass of wine was gone in one sip.

“Hey,” and Alec was in Magnus’ range, touching the other man’s hand, rubbing his thumb in the back of Magnus’ hand. Damn it, that always did the trick. Magnus was still holding the glass with his other hand, suspicious. “Sorry for that. I think I’m nervous. And I think you know by now I’m not very good with words. Or pressure. Or alcohol. Or anything.”

“Yeah, you have a lot of areas to improve.”

Alec smiled.

“I know. Since I have so much to make up for, let me start by saying that I’m sorry about what happened at my house yesterday. My sister has the best intentions, but she can be terrible at times. I’m sorry if you left my house upset, and I know you did. I’m really really sorry about that. I hate to know I made you feel like that in any way”, and Alec brought Magnus’ hand to meet his lips.

A little kiss.

Magnus didn’t move.

But Alec was determined. So he continued talking: “Mags, I know this started as one thing and developed to another thing, and now I’m not even sure there’s anything left between us, but I want you to know I’m not seeing Troy anymore and -”

“Really?”

Troy was on Magnus’ list. He needed to be sure.

“Yes. He called me last night, and I decided to tell him I couldn’t see him anymore since I had feelings for someone else.”

Feelings! Alec said feelings. Tall and Yummy, aka Alec, aka Alexander, was now Tall and… maybe Infatuated?

This is getting interesting.

“Feelings? Really? How do you know?”

“Magnus, I’m happy when I’m around you, I miss you when we don’t talk, or we’re busy to see each other, I smell your hair when we cuddle - sorry, I do! I can’t help it. It’s soft and smells nice -, I loved our date and how you put up with my corky side, and I felt honestly miserable seeing you left my house last night. I think that is qualified as ‘feelings’ (air quotes). And I want to know you. I… I think I want to be part of your life. I wanna be at your wall too.”

Magnus made a weird face now. What?

“I want to have pictures of us. There”, and he pointed to the photos of Magnus’ and his friends all over his living room.

Considering this was Alec’s first “feelings declaration” for someone, he thought he was doing a decent job. Alec was great at firsts, apparently. Kind of. Was that a thing?

Magnus was mad at Alec at first, but let’s remember he wanted this too. Mainly for the same reasons. He also missed Alec. He also wants to have Alec everywhere. He wanted this. Alec wanted this. What are the chances? And yet, it was happening. Alec was asking for them to take this to… some other level? Magnus decided to ask to make sure.

“So, what you’re saying is…”

“That I don’t want to JUST have sex with you. I want everything. I’m all in. Just… The two of us. I don’t know if you want that too.”

And Alec looked unsure for the first time that night.

Magnus thought about making suspense, but enough with misery. They have so much to do. They could start with "reconciliation" sex, for example. The Asian man placed his empty glass on the adjacent table and smiled at Alec before kissing him, embracing him as much as he could in the process. The tongues were gliding against each other; Alec was moaning already, Magnus’ hand was already under Alec’s shirt, Alec was shirtless, they were stumbling, Magnus lost his shirt too, ops! They hardly did anything, and they were both feeling warm inside - not the horny kind of warm, a new warmth, a safe and exciting and terrifying one.

Alec’s body hit the mattress, Magnus followed, mouths found each other, hands were hungry, lips were marking their newly acquired domains, laughs and moans were produced altogether, undistinguished symphony filling the air.

Just before Magnus’ mouth wrapped around Alec’s member and made him cum with urgency all over Magnus’, the man whispered in Alec’s ear: “I’m all in too.”

And that was it. Simple and direct like the text messages they exchange and everything else they did.  

It was settled.

Next morning, when Magnus woke up with Alec strongly holding him (cuddling was now developing to something else, apparently), he realized soon he could call Alec the best nickname ever.

Tall.

And His.

  



End file.
